Rail-joint.



J, W. & B. J. BNRIGHT.

RAIL JOINT.

Patented June 28, 1910.

INVENTORS 107122 b. Enpz'gh Z Eda/ 52 5] J 2117 19123 A TTORNE Y 8 J, W. 82 E. J. ENRIGHT.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1909.

962,824, Patented June 28, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WOODS ENRIGHT AND EDWARD JAMES ENRIGHT, OF NEW ORLEANS,

LOUISIANA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Application filed July 24, 1909. Serial No. 509,367.

and EDWARD J. ENRIGHT, both citizens of the United States, and residents of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Joint, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to rail joints, and especially to the type of rail joint covered by our Patent No. 808,524:, dated December 26, 1905. In the invention described in the patent referred to, fish plates are provided which are held against the sides of the rails at the joints by means of wedge plates. These wedge plates and the rails were seated upon a socket plate which was tapered longitudinally so that when the wedge plates were driven in they became secure in position. In driving in the wedge plates there is a tendency for the fish plates to move longitudinally of the rails, and at other times there is a tendency for them to creep along the rails under the action of the rolling stock which passes over the joint.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction which will prevent the longitudinal displacement or creeping of the fish plates, and which will do away with the necessity for tapering the socket plate or seat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction which enables the joint to be readily bonded, as may be desired in electric railway construction, and at the same time to provide means for preventing the accidental withdrawal of the wedge plates.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing a rail joint constructed according to our invention, certain parts being broken away so as to disclose the construction more completely; Fig.

2 is a vertical section through the joint showing a fish plate and wedge plate on one side of the joint in position, this section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 5; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a fish plate and wedge plate on the opposite side in position,

this section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5; Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the joint, certain parts being broken away; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken through the webs of the rails just above the joint and partially broken away to show the construction of the joint.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1, 1, represent the abutting ends of the rails at the joint. The flanges 2 of these rails are received in a seat or socket plate 3. This plate is simply a substantially rectangular plate which is of elongated form of uniform width, and provided at its edges with upwardly extending flanges 4;. These flanges are bent inwardly at their upper edges to form cleats 5 which extend continuously throughout the length of the plate. The webs 6 of the rails are provided with openings 7 which may be in the form of slots, as shown. There are two of these openings in each web, and they are disposed equidistant and near the abutting ends of the rails.

On the left side of the rail we provide a fish plate 8 which has a vertical body which seats against the side of the web, as indicated in Fig. 2. The upper end of this body is enlarged to form a head 9, the inner face whereof fits snugly against the under side of the head 10 of the rail. This head 9 projects outwardly so as to form a slightly inclined shoulder 11 which forms an angle 12 with the body of the plate. The lower part of the fish plate is formed into an outwardly inclined web 13, and at the lower part of this web 13 the plate is bent outwardly so as to form a flange 14 which is adapted to lie upon the flange of the rail, as indicated. This plate is provided with projections or buttons 15 which are adapted to enter the slots or openings 7 as shown in Fig. 2. The outer edge of the flange 14. is cut away throughout nearly its entire length so that projecting tongues 16 are presented at the ends of the fish plate. The fish plate is adapted to seat in position as shown in Fig. 5, with the edges of the plate engaging the inner sides of the flanges t. The side edges of the tongues lie against the ends of the flanges at so as to prevent the fish plate from shifting on the socket plate or seat, as will be readily understood. It should be understood that the buttons 15 engage the web of one rail only, but the fish plate extends longitudinally of the web of the adjacent abutting rail for the same distance that it engages the rail to which it is more intimately connected. On the opposite side of the rail a similar fish plate 17 is provided, said fish plate having buttons 18 on the inner face of its projecting body, which are received in the openings 7 of the opposite rail. The upper part of this fish plate is formed into a head 19 similar to the head 9, and in other respects the fish plate is identical with the fish plate 8, except that it engages the opposite rail. It is formed with an inwardly projecting web 20 terminating below in a flange 21 which seats on the flange of the rail, as indicated in Fig. 3. It is likewise provided with tongues 22 which project beyond the ends of the socket plate, as shown in Fig. 1. In seating the fish plates in position, their lower edges are engaged with the side flanges of the socket plate and their upper portions are rotated inwardly until they seat against the sides of the webs of the rails. They are then held securely in position by means of wedge plates 23. These wedge plates are of elongated rectangular form, presenting tapered upper edges or noses 24: which are received in the angles under the inclined shoulders of the heads 9 and 19. The bodies of these wedge plates are disposed in an inclined position, as shown, and their lower ends are bent outwardly so as to form flanges 25 which are received under the cleats 5. These flanges present tapered edges 26 which engage the inner faces ofthe flanges 4: so that when the wedge plates are driven home they will become tight in the position indicated, and operate as struts to support the edge of the rail and hold the fish plates securely against the sides of the web. Attention is called to the fact that the fish plates are tapered, while the socket plate is untapered, which is an advantageous arrangement. The fish-plates are tapered at the heads 9; that is, these heads decrease in depth from one end to the other.

If it is desired to bond the rail joint, we provide for this necessity by forming longitudinal grooves 27 in the inner faces of the heads 9 and 19, as indicated. In these grooves we lay copper wires or rods 28 before the fish plates are applied to the joint. The diameter of these rods 28 is large enough to insure that they will press their inner face tightly against the face of the rail heads so that a very intimate contact of the copper and the rail takes place. The ends of the rods 28 are preferably bent over, as indi-- cated, so as to form tails 29 projecting across the end of the wedge plates 23 to prevent their accidental withdrawal.

Having thus described our invention we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination with the abutting ends of the rails provided in their webs with openings or slots, of a socket plate in which said ends seat, said plate having at its side edges upwardly extending overlying flanges, a fish plate on each side of the rails, each plate having at its upper edge a head fitting the under side of the tread of the rail and provided with an outwardly extending shoulder and having a vertical portion seating against the web, and an outwardly inclined portion, the lower edge of which rests upon the flange of the rail and engages beneath the overlying flange of the socket plate, said plate having projections engaging the openings in the webs of the rails, and having at each end a tongue seating against the end of the socket plate, and wedge plates seated between the head of the fish plates and the flanges of the socket plate, the heads of the fish plates being tapered from one end to the other, each of said heads having on its inner upper corner a longitudinal groove for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the abutting ends of the rails provided in their webs with openings or slots, of a socket plate in which said ends seat, said plate having at its side edges upwardly extending overlying flanges, a fish plate on each side of the rails, each plate having at its upper edge a head fitting the under side of the tread of the rail and provided with an outwardly extending shoulder and having a vertical portion seating against the web, and an outwardly inclined portion, the lower edge of which rests upon the flange of the rail and engages beneath the overlying flange of the socket plate, said plate having projections engaging the openings in the webs of the rails, and having at each end a tongue seating against the end of the socket plate, and wedge plates seated between the head of the fish plates and the flanges of the socket plate, the heads of the fish plates being tapered from one end to the other.

3. The combination with the abutting ends of the rails provided in their webs with transverse slots, of a socket plate on which the ends are seated, said plate having at each side edge a flange overlying the plate, a fish plate on each side of the rails, each of said plates having a longitudinally tapered head engaging beneath the rail tread and an outwardly inclined portion engaging beneath the flange of the socket plate and having at names to this specification in the presence of each end a tongue fitting against the end of two subscribing witnesses.

the socket plate, said plates each having JOHN WOODS ENRIGHT.

tongues engaging the slots and a wedge EDWARD JAMES ENRIGHT. 5 plate fitting between the head of the web WVitnesses:

and the flange of the socket plate. ARTHUR J. CUNEo,

In testimony whereof we have signed our W. DUPLANTIER. 

